Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

Advantages: Amusing and entertaining
Disadvantages: Not as funny as "Good Omens". But then, what is?

...his father; firstly, he was Anansi the spider god and second, Fat Charlie has a brother he never knew about. As a result of this news, Fat Charlie's life is about to undergo some major changes. For one thing, his brother suddenly wants to be a part of his life. Whereas Fat Charlie is unsuccessful in more or less everything he does, his brother is the epitome of cool. He manages to upset Fat Charlie's boss, steal his fiancée and land him under police ...
...life is changeable and uncertain. Gaiman swiftly takes us into a world where anything can happen and where the gods play with people for their own profit and amusement. But our world can also have an effect on the gods and we see not only how Fat Charlie comes to terms with being the son of a god and what powers his breeding may grant him, but also how Spider discovers that being the son of a god doesn't necessarily mean that everything will go ... Read review

Advantages: Stylish writing, exciting, imaginative ideas.
Disadvantages: Takes an age to get going. Disjointed reading.

...a God? Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys is a jaunty outing with just the faintest tinge of horror about it. Gaiman's writing is fundamentally dark in its nature and he seems to love to take the "average Joe" and make horrendous things happen to him. Gaiman excels at creating pathetic but likeable heroes and Fat Charlie certainly fits the bill in this respect. The contrast between his apathetic approach to life and that of his exuberant brother, Spider, ...
...narrative lacks cohesion. This makes Anansi Boys a disjointed read that I sometimes found myself struggling to follow. Parts of this book are an exercise in perfectly written escapist literature. Gaiman's unique use of animal Gods is inspired in terms of imagery. You can visualise the scheming characters Gaiman creates and by giving the Gods a degree of desperate humanity you can well imagine the motives of the greedy Tiger and menacing Bird. Unfortunately, ... Read review

Advantages: Incredibly inventive fun - and it's Neil Gaiman!
Disadvantages: It won't be what you expected - it's Neil Gaiman!

...it all look easy. Anansi Boys is perhaps the least dark of his adult books, which is not to say that it is not dark. Gaiman understands the original essence of fairy tales and folk tales, and combines an edge of horror with an improbable yet plausible story. Gaiman does just enough of what you expect him to do to make the things he does that are unexepected all the more unexpected, as it were. The plot is not easy to summarise, but it involves ...
...hell, excruciatingly embarrassing parents and annoying brothers - and we can all relate to most of those things (well, the last four at least). This is not the sequel to American Gods you perhaps wanted. Let that go, and enjoy a fun ride through the apparently endless creativity of Gaiman's world. He has written the book he wanted to write - again. I'm jealous. ... Read review

Advantages: Another mind blowing story
Disadvantages: None - i love it

This story is full of suspense, at the same time, humour. It's like the continuation to one of his previous books, American Gods, in which it tells us that things (or persons) are not what we think they are, no matter how close we are to that thing/person, no matter how much we think that we do know.... we really don't. The story revolves around a family... of brothers.... poisoned by greed, which ends in the consequences that they deserve.... something ...
...the laws of punishment and reward.... I wasn't ever able to put the book down (just like other Gaiman books) for it captivated my imagination (and time). And as always (yet never gets boring)... Gaiman makes u wonder if gods really do exist or if they are only created by our imaginations. ... Read review

Advantages: Great easy read, fun, enjoyable
Disadvantages: Not the greatest of Neil's works

Being an avid Gaiman fan, I was very excited to read this book (I even managed to get it signed!) It's an enjoyable read, fun and exciting and a good place to start with Neil's works. Like much of Neil's work, it deals with Gods and fantasy mixed with reality. The main character is easy to like, and the other charactors are well written. The only problem I had was that having read Neil's other books, it's not his most amazing book ever. There ...
...felt left me a bit empty. HOWEVER, don't let that put you off. It's a great book anyway, especially considering an ok Neil book is comparable to a very good 'other writer' book. It's well worth reading if you're already a Neil fan, and a great introduction book if you haven't already. ... Read review